Poramadulla CC makes progress despite difficulties

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN- Kandy Sports Corr

Poramadulla Central College in Rikillagaskada in the Hanguranketha
which was the royal refuge of the last king of Kandy, is one of the
first schools to take to hard ball cricket from the area which comes
under the Nuwara Eliya district. Despite the many difficulties faced by
them, they have been fielding a cricket team every year.

Vice captain Eranga
Nawarathne

Skipper Liyan
Wickremasinghe

This school has produced many distinguished students including one
time Sports Minister and present Higher Education Minister S.B.
Dissanayake who has done a lot to improve the facilities for sports in
the school. They had a good ground and when Thilanga Sumathipala was the
President of Sri Lanka Cricket, he provided two practice nets and
cricket equipment at the request of Minister S.B. Dissanayake. But the
ground after a few years fell into neglect till C.B. Ratnayake became
the Minister of Sports and he granted Rs 300 lakhs to rehabilitate and
re-develop the ground and the work is still in progress. Now only the
planting of the grass is left to be done and with the rains which is
expected to fall in April the growth of grass could be accelerated.

But in the meantime the cricketers of Poramadulla Central use the
Open Prison Camp grounds at Pallekele as their home grounds and they
will have to travel a distance of over 40 kilometres. Poramadulla
Central College will be fielding a highly inexperienced side this season
as they will be having only four players from the last year's team and
this will let them go through a tough time unless the juniors who have
come into the team, play a bigger role.

Leading the side this year fourth year player Liyan Wickremasinghe, a
good bat and an off spinner, whom the team will expect to come up with
good performances.

The Vice Captain of the side is another all-rounder and third year
player Eranga Nawaratne. Another reliable bat and a right arm medium
pacer, second year player Dhanushka Lakmal and Lahiru Nishantha are the
other two players from the last year's team and the rest are 'green
horns'.

Apart from the skipper and his deputy, the others who should be among
the runs are Hemantha Bandara, Saliya - Ratnayake, Govinda Nadeeshan,
Dhanushka Lakmal, Kasun Bandara, Lalinda Nishantha and Sandaruwan
Dissanayake.

Govinda Nishantha and Dhanushka Lakmal will open the bowling attack
supported by medium pacers Saliya Ratnayake, Eranga Nawaratne and
Sandaruwan Dissanayake. Much cannot be said of the spin attack which
will have 15 year old left arm spinner Kasun Bandara and off spinner
Liyan Wickremasinghe. Thus the pacies will have a big job in their
hands.

Their coach Palitha Thillakasiri who has to travel a distance of 100
kilimetres to practice with the boys said that when young, there is a
tendency for the cricketers to bowl fast and the cricket coach has a big
job in his hands to identify the talents of the young cricketers and
guide them whether to remain as fast bowlers or switch them to spin. It
is a tough task right from the start. It becomes harder as the
cricketers here do not have much exposure to the game as hardly any
cricket is played here.

The Amiable cricket master-in-charge of the school Saman Weerasinghe
said that with the help and guidance of the school Principal B.G.S.
Bandara they are trying hard to develop cricket in the school.
Poramadulla Central College is the flagship for sports in the Nuwara
Eliya electorate and it has been elevated to the status of Sports School
and cricket is one of the sports. As a mixed school, with girls
participating in sports like netball, athletics, basketball, volleyball,
kabbadi and other sports, the school has a big role to play.